tormented 1 of 2

adjective

as in tortured

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tormented

2 of 2

verb

past tense of torment
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to he was tormented by nightmares about the accident

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tormented
Verb
Or suppose you’re being tormented by someone in power, but lack the ability to explain to others—or even to yourself—exactly how you’re being wronged. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 July 2026 The trailer shows Depp as Scrooge tormented by the terrifying spirits of Christmas, haunting him throughout the Christmas season. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 23 July 2026 Elordi played high school bully Nate, who in Season 3 dealt with some goons who tormented him and brutally physically assaulted him. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 21 July 2026 The iconic college film follows a group of freshmen who grew tired of being tormented by the fraternity brothers of Alpha Beta at Adams College. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026 The three-paragraph note compared Lyons to a Nazi and predicted that Lyons would be tormented by his own conscience. — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 6 July 2026 Tournament favorites France, for example, have so thoroughly taunted and tormented their opponents that anything short of the final would seem an injustice at this point. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026 The Gold Glove third baseman tormented them for years with the Colorado Rockies, and it’s been no different with the Diamondbacks. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 30 June 2026 Alex Freeman tormented his opponents in Seattle on Friday, 30 years after his famous dad did the same. — David Close, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormented
  1. tortured
  2. plagued
  3. frustrated
  4. persecuted
  5. harassed
  6. afflicted
  7. harried
  8. besieged
Adjective
  • Natalie Portman famously saw a twisted version of herself in mirrors as part of her Oscar-winning performance as a tortured ballerina in Black Swan.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 July 2026
  • Rewatching it now, the series feels almost artisanal in its toughness, a time capsule from an era when TV detectives didn’t need tortured backstories or prestige-drama monologues to command the screen.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • Jackson broke his foot last training camp when a teammate stepped on it during practice, and that injury plagued him all of 2025, and required an offseason procedure that kept him sidelined all OTAs and minicamp.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026
  • As in the last two years, this year’s Tour is plagued by doping.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of plagued
Adjective
  • The first baseman, stepping in front of a small group of reporters Saturday in Boston, was asked for his message to frustrated fans.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Crow-Armstrong was visibly frustrated taking strike 3 with runners on the corners.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Definition of frustrated
Verb
  • The Chinese government denies the Uyghurs have been or are being persecuted.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • As a senator, Marco Rubio was a strong supporter of the bureau and human rights broadly, once arguing from the Senate floor that safeguarding the freedoms of gay men who were persecuted in Chechnya — and all people — was in the national interest.
    — Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 17 July 2026
Definition of persecuted
Adjective
  • Others were placed under house arrest, harassed or subject to extensive surveillance, or had their passports confiscated, according to prior NPR reporting and the findings of the United Nations and rights groups.
    — Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
  • For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Definition of harassed
Verb
  • Lotus seems to have ironed out the hesitancy that previously afflicted the dual-clutch ’box, particularly when parking.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 July 2026
  • Forty-nine of the afflicted have been hospitalized; of those, thirty-four have gone home.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026
Definition of afflicted
Adjective
  • The assignment’s seen as an intrusion into their harried lives.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
  • The light provides a kind of neutrality, washing me from a monster back into a mother in a flash—just another harried woman who is running a little late.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of harried
Verb
  • The species is now endangered, extinct on the Australian mainland for three thousand years and besieged on the island that is its last refuge.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • The sidebar will open with Netflix’s Below, from creator Jesse McKeown, a six-part supernatural thriller that centers on a seaside town Newfoundland besieged by a sea creature and stars Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton and Josh Hartnett.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026
Definition of besieged

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Cite this Entry

“Tormented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormented. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of tormented for Spanish Speakers

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